and flying told by what's not flying --

planes parked around the world, grounded,

as coronavirus takes hold.

Some airlines shutting down for now.

One estimate from a trade association

says half the world's airlines could collapse or merge.

-I can assure you, we're losing money

on every single flight and big money.

So that can't be sustained indefinitely.

-In the US, planes were running more than 80% full.

Now they are flying more than 80% empty, usually worse.

These members of Congress going back to Washington

with lots of room.

But the airlines keep flying because...

-The federal government has mandated our work as essential.

It's a money-losing proposition on a commercial side.

But the higher calling is the service that we're providing.

-Still are there too many flights?

-We're not taking steps to really pull down

any extraneous travel that's going on.

So we should only be doing essential travel at this time

and not be exposing people needlessly through air travel.

-US airlines want to keep a schedule to move cargo

and because some still have to fly.

They're also in line to receive $50 billion in government aid.

A big chunk of that money is keeping airline workers paid,

even as bookings die and people stop flying.

-That's the IV that we needed to not just survive

but maintain our status with some strength.

-In the past, one of the first things airlines

do to manage their expenses is they just do massive layoffs.

This is an attempt to help airlines

reduce the number of people who have to be laid off

and thus reduce the number of people

who potentially go on to unemployment.

-For the pilots, the flight attendants,

a jolt as fortunes fall in an industry

where times were good

with sprawling networks and record profits.

-It was the best of times, and then overnight,

it became the worst of times.

-Now the most expensive planes

in the big airlines' fleets parked.

Wide-body jets no longer needed

with just about every international flight scrubbed.

It's a hibernation no one wanted but came on fast.

-This is shocking.

It has overtaken all of us.

-Empty planes mean empty airports,

a trickle down of bad news

and lost revenue for the 10 million people

whose jobs touch aviation in the US,

from in-flight catering to airplane

washing to airport driving.

Just look at the drop in passengers

screened at US airports by TSA

from a year ago to now -- down 94%.

For pilots and flight attendants,

all those parked planes mean fewer flights, so less pay.

-Depending on what you normally fly, it can be anywhere

from 20%, 25% difference in the amount of income,

just due to the decrease in flying.

So that's everybody, you know,

having to naturally do their part.

-Airlines are hoarding cash, watching every expense.

But they don't want to cut too much

because that makes restarting operations

all the more difficult.

Ground too many pilots and they could lose currency to fly.

-If you were to do the darkest of things

and that is furloughing pilots, it's furlough from the bottom,

which triggers hundreds of millions of dollars of training

in many months

so that the airline can continue to operate.

-For those working cabins, there's something else.

-There's a flight attendant's picture behind me.

His name is Paul Frishkorn,

who was the first flight attendant to die

to the coronavirus.

And there's gonna be a lot more people hurting.

And so, we're just trying to stabilize as much as possible.

-For now, the airline industry is in a line up and wait,

waiting for coronavirus to run its course,

waiting to see when people will fly again.

That federal infusion of $50 billion

buys them time until September.

And if things don't get better...

-I don't think we'll see any of the big four go out of business.

The big four are American, Delta, Southwest, and United.

But it's unclear whether other airlines

will have the financial strength to continue in the US.

-For passengers, there will be changes.

Likely fewer flights to fewer cities.

Some of those grounded planes won't be coming back.

But those fees for bags and seats sticking around.

And maybe some good news for flyers looking for bargains.

-When we come out of this,

I'm expecting an extremely intense

dogfight between the airlines for customers and cash.

-We're not only concerned with the survival

of our airline industry, but we're concerned

with what condition will be when we get through this.

And we will get through this.

-Airlines and its employees looking for a lift

but only finding uncertainty stretching as far

as their parked planes.